“What is said to be the wandering mind is nothing but the power that thinks, ‘I am the body; [its] wealth, house, parents, wife and children are mine; those who do good are friends, those who do evil are enemies’.” V. 7, Sri Ramanopadesam, Sri Sivaprakasam Pillai, cited from The Power of the Presence, Part one

Wandering mind is nothing but thoughts in the Pure Mind like the objects in the space. I am the body, I have wealth, power etc., I am father and these are my children, he is my friend who does good to me, and he is my foe who does evil to me; what are these ? Mere thoughts are they all and that is the wandering mind.

“Even as the thought, ‘I am this contemptible body’ rises, destroy it by the thought, ‘I am not this contemptible body’. This is the method of destroying the ego. When the ego destroys itself, it would then appear that whatever happens to this contemptible body is not me.” V. 8, Sri Ramanopadesam, Sri Sivaprakasam Pillai, cited from The Power of the Presence, Part one

“Whose is the body ? Mine ? No way. I am He.” I do not mean to say that one should suggest intellectual answer to the ‘Who am I ?‘ enquiry but that there should be intellectual conviction. One must understand that one is not this filthy and contemptible body. But one is That.

‘Give up enquiring about the senses, the mind, the intellect and the impure ego. Because this filthy body does not exist in deep sleep, and because the “I” exists always as the abiding consciousness , remove this delusion of “ I am the body ” and find out what this consciousness is by diving deep within.’ This is the teaching of Ramana. V. 10, Sri Ramanopadesam, Sri Sivaprakasam Pillai, cited from The Power of the Presence, Part one

Sri David Godman mentions that the first line in the above verse refers to the traditional Hindu practice of verbally negating identification with the body and the mind: ‘I am not the body, I am not the senses,’ etc. Though this approach is also called ‘self enquiry’ in many traditional texts, Sri Bhagwan often criticised this approach as being too intellectual. Sri Bhagwan has instead revealed for once and all that the true and effective Self-enquiry is holding on to the ‘I’-thought until it subsides into Pure Consciousness of the Self, the Source from where it arises.

Sri Bhagavan has said that there is no such thing as mind. The mind'sform is only by way of thoughts. The I thought is the primary thought.Mano nasam, is that where there will be no single thought, or sankalpa.

Neti Neti is also told by Sri Bhagavan in His Who am I? He said that the true self inquiry is to abide no-thought situation in Atma Swarupa for ever. Vichara is that where the thoughts do not appear [in the form of any substance]. Nirasai [not attachment, is not going behind any thought or substances.

Asudha Manas ( impure mind ) is the bundle of thoughts. Pure Mind (Sudha Manas), Ishwara, is verily the Self. This, Sri Bhagwan, THE FIAL AUTHORITY, has settled for once and all.

Sri Bhagwan says in ‘Who am I ?’ that the thought ‘Who am I ?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then there will arise Self-realization.

The mind through calm in deep-plunge enquires—That alone is real quest for the Self.‘This I am’,’ mine is not this’,Ideas such help forward the quest. V. 31, Sat-Darshana Bhashya

“ In deep-plunge enquires-“. If a thought-free mind abides in the Self, where is the need for ‘plunge’ ? All then one need is to abide in That without a single thought assailing. It is only when the subtle mind escapes through the brain to objects outside that asks to enquire, “ To whom this thought ?” To me ? Who am I ? The question is certain to effect immediate Self-attention. Then holding on to the ‘I’-thought and seeking its Source until it subsides and is merged into the Source i.e. the Self is the Self-enquiry proper as taught by Sri Bhagwan. The enquiry itself is capable of destroying all thoughts and vasanas as Sri Bhagwan says in “Who am I ?”

Sattva-bhasika—illumining That which is (exists)Cit—Awareness.Kvavetara—where is anyone other ?Cit—AwarenessSattya hi—is only as existence (as Being).Cittya hi—as Awareness aloneAham—I am.

“Thus, for illumining That which is (exists), where is any other ? (There is no other knower) Therefore, Being (Existence) is Awareness. Or, Awareness is only Being. I am That Awareness alone.”

So, Reality, or Being, or Existence is Awareness or Sentient. Sat is Chit. I am Pure Sentience. Hence, I am Awareness alone. The Verse reveals that for knowing That which is there is no other knower. There is only one Being that can know Reality and that Being is Awareness Itself. So, Knowing is Being.

Atma-samsthitih svatma-darshanamAtma-nirdvayad atma-nishthata

Atma-samsthitih—Being the SelfSvatma-darshanam—(is) the Vision of the Self.Atma-nirdvayad—for there is no duality in the Self.Atma-nishthata—Being the Self. V. 26, Upadesa Saram

Thus, “ Being the Self is the Vision of the Self. As there is no duality in the Self, only Being the Self can be Knowing the Self” .

Sri Bhagwan often commented that there are no two Selves so that one Self may know the other Self. There is no way to escape if one wants to know his own Self. Pushing the mind within and merging it into the Self is the only option, if one seeks Jnana. And Jnana is not other than Being.

Message is obvious enough. We can keep on discussing endlessly, but Jnana can happen only when we cease discussing and arguing, and just be. Once we are convinced, intellect’s function , vis-à-vis Realization, in my view, is over. It, by itself cannot realize the Self for us. Sri Bhagwan reveals that the Self is already ever realized. Only thoughts are not allowing us to regain our Natural State. Getting rid of thoughts, by enquiry or by surrender, and just and simply ‘Be’ is Jnana.

The second line (re-737) should read," This, Sri Bhagwan,The FINAL AUTHORITY, has settled for once and all".

The fourth line from the last line in the same post (re-737) should read, "It is only when the subtle mind escapes through the brain to objects outside that Sri Bhagwan asks to enquire,'To whom this thought ?' "

Sri Bhagavan has also explained the technique of Self Enquiry,in Verse 28 of ULLadu NaRpadu. This verse is called the HeartCenter of the whole work. For that matter, the Verses 23 to 29 describe the sadhana margam, the way and Verse 30 the Goal.

Verse 28:

Controlling speech and breath, and diving deep with in oneself --the like one who, to find a thing that has fallen into water, divesdeep down -- one must seek out the Source whence the aspiring ego springs.

As in a well deep,Dive deep with reason cleaving sharp.With speech, mind and breath restrained,Exploring thus mayest thou discover the real Source of the ego-self.

V. 28, Sat-Darshan

Ji. Yes. This Verse is of paramount importance so far as technique of the Self-inquiry is concerned. So far, we were discussing Self-attention, holding on to the root ‘I’-thought, seeking the Source of the ego with a keen mind, and finally abidance in the Self effortlessly in a thought-free state. In this verse Sri Sri Bhagwan uses the simile of a diver to drive home the essential facts that earnestness of purpose and one-pointedness of the mind are necessary prerequisites for the Realization of the Self.

In this Verse, Sri Bhagwan says that with control of speech and breath, and with a keen mind, one should dive deeper and deeper into his own being and find the Self. Restraint of speech enables the mind to acquire initial calm. It is well-known that Sri Bhagwan has said that breath control by Pranayama or Yoga is an aid, for the mind as well as the breath rise from the same Source. Control of one effects control over the another. So, like a diver who dives deep into a water-body to recover a submerged object, one, desirous of Self- Realization should dive deeper and deeper into his own Truth, holding calm the breath and the mind, and with a one-pointed keen intellect. However it is worth mention here that intellect itself cannot realize the Self. Sri Bhagwan says in Talk-502 that inward seeking is achieved by intellect. However,’ the intellect itself realises after continuous practice that it is enabled by some Higher Power to function. It cannot itself reach that Power. So, it thus ceases to function after a certain stage. When it thus ceases to function the Supreme Power is still left there all alone. That is Realization; that is the finality; that is the goal.’

Verse 30 of ULLadu Narpadu speaks of the goal. "When the mind turnsinwards seeking 'Tho am I?' and merges in the Heart, then the 'I' hangs down his head in shame and the One "I" appears as Itself. Though it appears as "I-I" [Thaan in Tamizh], it is not the ego. Itis Reality, Perfection, the Substance of the Self.

Verse 31 describes the state of realized soul:

For him, who9 is the Bliss of the Self arising from extinction of the ego, what is there to do? He knows nothing other than the Self.How to conceive the nature of his state?

Verse 32 describes the Maha Vaakyam, Thou art That and also sayswhat it does not convey.

When the Vedas have declared, "Thou art That" -- not seek and find the nature of the Self and abide in It, but to think 'I am That, not This' is want of strength. Because That abides for ever as the Self.

Sri Bhagwan once again reminds us through this Verse ( V. 29 ) that ‘Who am I ?’ inquiry or ‘I’, ‘I’ is not a mantra to be repeated externally or internally, and look on it from outside. Self-inquiry as taught by Him is an inward process in which the Source of the I-notion is to be sought ceaselessly with a purified and one-pointed mind. We should never forget that we are verily the Self. ‘This I am not: that I am’ is an auxiliary; it is not inquiry. This is at best meditation in which the meditator will be that very pseudo ‘I’. Mere mental identification of the ego-I with the Self is not what Sri Bhagwan asks His devotees to practice. Sri Bhagwan says they may be helpful in inquiry by preparing the mind ( making it one-pointed) but not the inquiry itself.

“ When the mind, turning inward, inquires ‘Who am I ?’ and reaches the Heart, that which is ‘I’ sinks crest-fallen, and the one reality appears of its own accord as ‘I’, ‘I’. Though it appears thus, the ’I’ is not an object; it is the whole. That, verily is the Self which is real.” V. 30, Forty Verses on Existence

When the mind, turning inward, inquires ‘Who am I ?’, inquires into the nature of ‘I’, with perseverance, and goes deeper and deeper into His own Truth, and finally reaches the Heart, the ego sinks crest-fallen. What else it will do, if it is persistently hammered and mortal blows are delivered to it ? What it will do if the culprit is sought, detected, and captured ? It will sink crest-fallen. King Janaka is said to have exulted that the thief, or the culprit (ego) has been found and now it will be dealt with decisively !

When, thus, the Heart is reached, this false’I’, therefore, is realized to be the mere appearance of the True ‘I’, the Self and disappears. Then the Self alone shines. ‘I’-‘I’ alone remains. The experience of the Pseudo ‘I’ is broken, discontinuous, sometimes appears and sometimes does not. The experience of ‘I’-‘I’ is unbroken and continuous. It is not the ego but the Supreme, Infinite and all-pervading Self itself that flashes forth incessantly ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’…….. That We, in Truth, We are.

These details are beautifully described by Micahel James in hisbook Happiness and Art of Being. And also in his article The Natureof our Mind in one of the issues of Mountain Path. I shall give theissue details of Mountain Path, soon.

Dear Sir, I do not have at present a copy of Jan-March,2007, issue of the Mountain Path with me. Who is Sri Michael James ? Is he a regular contributor to the Mountain Path ? Anyway, I would request you to kindly post in brief the contents of the 'Nature of our mind' authored by Sri Michael James and included in the Jan-March, 2007, issue of the Mountain Path.

“ This is full and that is full; from the fullness, the fullness arises. Fullness being taken away from fullness, fullness alone remains. “

What does the above scriptural revelation mean ? In everyone, everything, everywhere, and its every part, small or large, long or short, great or ordinary, Brahman is Full. This is, in my view, the profound meaning and significance of the great scriptural statement.

So, Being Full, we are intoxicated with the ‘I am the body’ idea on the one hand; and objects, ideas and images of the objective and the phenomenal world on the other hand. Being Full, always identifying with the parts. This is indeed sorry state of affairs.

Cittam-- The mindDrsya-varitam—turned away from the drishya (objectivity) or the objective worldAtmanh, cittva-darshanam—vision of its own SelfTattva-darshanam—is the vision of the Supreme Reality (Brahman).

Thus, the Verse can be stated as follows :

If the mind is tuned away from the sense objects of the objective world, it sees its own self and that Is the Vision of the Supreme Reality ( Brahman).

Sri Bhagwan has often said that one who desires Self-knowledge will have to accept that this wakingstate and this relative world have the same degree of reality as dreams. Therefore, the Self-Realization can happen only when the mind turns away from the seemingly ‘interesting world’ and its images, concepts and ideas and instead focuses attention on to itself within rather than outsideof oneself. Only then it can recognize its own conscious nature as Supreme Brahman. Otherwise,NOT. Drsya-varitam is the imperative condition.

Devotee: Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is taken as real ?Sri Bhagwan: There will not be. From ‘Who am I ?’

Sri Bhagwan says that the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope (substratum) will not arise unless the wrong knowledge of the illusory snake goes away, so the Realization of the Self (Substratum) cannot be gained unless the belief that the world is real is removed.

Dear sir, although I have made life subscription for the Mountain Path, I did not get any copy by the Postal srevices here in Patna ( Bihar). So, I have requested the Asramam not to dispatch my copy. Instead, I shall collect my copies whenever I make it to Sri Ramanasramam. Next month in April,2011, I am reaching Bangalore and I hope to visit, by His Grace, to Ramanasramam also. I am trying to seek permission from the President, Sri Ramanasramam for the same.